It Starts Small

Pastor Adrian Rodgers explained this in a great way. When I was younger, the supermarkets (grocery stores) used to have certain items you would buy and you would get stamps. They gave you a little stamp book and each stamp would fill a spot in the book. When you got a certain number of stamps you got certain items. Honestly, I barely remember this as a kid.

As we continue our journey in God’s Word, we have focused on the source of Love and what love is and is not. We have looked at love being the act of patience and kindness. We have also looked at  love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, and is not irritable.

Today we look at record keeping. What is Paul saying here? Just like my mom collecting stamps, we collect the wrong doing of others and tally them in a book in our mind.

This is not just any old memory book. This book is resentment and unforgiveness. Love does not nurse resentment of others who have wronged us. When we fixate on how we have been wronged, our anger takes on a life of its own and becomes disproportionate to the original offence.

A person’s insight gives him patience,
and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11

We need to take that petty book of grievances and shred it.

Resentment is the feeling of anger or displeasure about someone else or something unfair. Resentment and bitterness are best friends. Where one is, you can find the other holding hands or lingering together.

Resentment harbors bitterness.

Cain held anger, bitterness and resentment in his heart because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not his. From this resentment and bitterness, jealousy gripped his heart and the combination led him to murdering Abel. Satan LOVES a heart full of bitterness and resentment. It is an open door and party ground for him to influences all sorts of unloving words and actions. He is able to persuade us to justify destroying lives and relationships because the root of ALL bitterness is unforgiveness.

If someone has forgiven you, truly forgiven you, they will not keep a record of your wrong doing and their actions and words will not continually remind you of your wrong doing or fuel and justify their own wrong doing.

If you are holding a book full of wrong doings, you are willingly choosing to not forgive.

¹⁴ “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. ¹⁵ But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.

Matthew 6:14-15

Resentment has no place in our hearts. Paul tells us to let go – shred the book – of resentment and bitterness.

³¹ Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.

Ephesians 4:31

Jesus spoke about this many times!

²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.

Mark 11:25

It is not about forgetting offenses or agreeing what was done is okay. Forgiveness is intentionally choosing to forgive them as God has forgiven us, We do not deserve God’s forgiveness but He extends it to us. If we want to love as God loves, we need to also extend forgiveness to others.

Intentional forgiveness loosens the grip of anger and resentment on our hearts. The Lord can help us let go of the offenses and replace it with care and compassion.

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